Recovery Begins of Fallen Containers at Port of Long Beach

Salvage operations have begun in order to open a channel to allow ships to safely transit to and from Pier G at the Port of Long Beach following an incident on Sept. 9 that caused an estimated 75 shipping containers to fall from the cargo ship Mississippi.

Officials from the unified command – consisting of federal, state, local agencies and representatives of the vessels involved – gathered again Sept. 10 at the Port of Long Beach joint command and control center to guide operations in response to the incident.

Two sunken cargo containers were retrieved from the bottom of the basin Sept. 10. Additionally, responders secured the source of a fuel leak originating from an at-berth emissions control barge moored alongside the container vessel. The tank contained about 2,000 gallons of renewable diesel.

Cargo operations at the port have been mostly unaffected by the incident, except in a 500-yard safety zone placed around the Mississippi, which was carrying 2,412 containers at the time of the incident. Containers began falling at 8:48 a.m. Sept. 9. The Coast Guard, Jacobsen Port Pilots and the Port of Long Beach are working together to facilitate navigation in accordance with the safety zone.

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson assured the public that officials are cognizant of the seriousness of any interruption of cargo flow at the Port of Long Beach, the nation’s second-busiest seaport.

There has been one reported minor injury related to the incident.

“This is still a dynamic situation with many unknowns,” said Capt. Stacey Crecy, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach. “However, we have contingency plans in place and are working with the intent to restore all port activities as soon and as safely as possible. I greatly value the strong partnerships and coordination with our partners and the work that is being done by all members of the Unified Command to minimize impacts to the Port.”

There are 22 cargo terminals at the Port of Long Beach. Six handle containers.

“Although this incident was at one berth at the Port, we will continue to act with caution as we recover containers and restore full operations at the Pier G terminal as quickly and safely as possible,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “Thanks to the quick response by all involved – first the workers and companies right at the docks working the ship, then on to all of the agencies who have responded to protect life, safety and commerce.”

The investigation to determine the cause of the incident is being led by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. The unified command continues to conduct sonar surveys to locate approximately 25 to 30 containers submerged in the harbor. Recovered containers have been moved to a designated area surrounded by a boom.

Nonresponding personnel are asked to remain clear of the affected area until further notice. The Coast Guard is broadcasting hourly marine safety information to alert mariners of navigation hazards.